Environmental

Emissions

Emissions from our operations vary by business segment. Our air emissions generally result from mining activities, crude oil storage tanks, marine vessels, combustion sources, and crude oil and natural gas transportation. Our air permitting and compliance program manages applicable regulated emissions using the various methods mentioned below:

• Maintaining a robust permitting and compliance program for operational activities
• Tracking permit requirements and deadlines in a compliance tracking system
• Calculating annual emissions as required by federal and state regulations
• Reviewing plans for modifications to facilities and operations to determine whether permitting is required
• Using control technology when feasible to reduce emissions
• Operating all of our marine vessel engines and generators to meet Tier 3 standards, using low sulfur diesel, which meets IMO 2020 standards
• Phasing out Ozone Depleting Substances from marine vessel A/C units

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Scope 1 and 2 emissions for our operations are shown in the table below. Calculations were performed in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Protocol by a third-party consultant. We intend to continue to track and analyze this data in the future. See our Performance Table to view our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions.

View Our 2021 Performance Table

Energy Transition

We recognize that the energy transition is an important topic for our investors. We continue to look for ways to position ourselves to operate and participate in a lower carbon world.

Our offshore pipeline transportation segment has one of the largest pipeline networks in the Deepwater area of the Gulf of Mexico, which are some of the least emission intensive barrels, from reservoir to refinery, of any barrel refined and consumed in the United States.

We expect our soda ash business to increase its participation in renewable energy markets in the future by producing a resource used in the production of LEED certified glass windows to retro-fit older buildings; manufacturing of glass for solar panels; and the production of lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide (some of the building blocks of lithium ion/phosphate batteries used in both the electrification of vehicles and long-term battery storage).

Our Sulfur Services business continues to help its host refineries lower their emissions by processing hydrogen sulfide gas streams using our proprietary, closed-loop, non-combustion technology to remove sulfur from the refiner’s hydrogen sulfide gas stream. In addition, NaHS is used by our customers to help further reduce air emissions from various chemical and industrial activities. For example, NaHS is used to remove nitrogen oxide (NOx) from the emissions stacks of certain activities around metal refining and finishing.

NaHS and soda ash are also both used in flue gas scrubbing to remove harmful particulates from what would otherwise have been released into the atmosphere. This is especially used at large industrial complexes and hydrocarbon-fired power plants.

Biodiversity

We recognize the importance of fostering the conservation of biodiversity and healthy ecosystems and understand the need to use natural resources wisely. We operate in accordance with applicable laws and regulations and comply with guidelines provided by regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We review potential biodiversity impacts prior to construction and where possible we reduce the impacts of construction and operational activities through one or more of the following methods:

• Avoidance
• Minimization
• Restoration
• Offsetting

We work, in a cooperative manner, to mitigate the effects of our operations with local communities. Additionally, we train employees on the importance of environmental protection and provide information on species and habitat sensitivities present in their assigned locations or projects.

Read Our Biodiversity Policy

 

Protecting Sage Grouse

The natural habitat of certain animal and bird species exists in close proximity to our operations. We work to identify such habitats and to respect their coexistence with our operations as much as possible.  For instance, our soda ash production facility in Southwest Wyoming is located in a sage grouse habitat area. The sage grouse is a bird that is currently designated as a “species of concern” with the potential of being added to the endangered species list under the Endangered Species Act. We carefully manage new projects to minimize impacts on their habitat and engage in efforts to protect the species.

We work closely with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and other state agencies to closely monitor sage grouse population numbers and with nearby landowners to help ensure the health of the bird’s habitat in the surrounding area. We are a founding member of the Wyoming Mining Natural Resource Foundation and serve on its board of directors. “The Foundation has developed an initial conservation strategy which is designed to engage landowners and land managers, agencies, academia and stakeholders to work together with the mining industry to implement durable conservation practices on the ground.”

Water

Water is a treasured resource and one that requires proper management. Certain laws and regulations concerning water use are applicable to our business segments. We maintain permits as applicable to our consumption and discharge of water. Additionally, we administer controls on regulated discharges to minimize the release of pollutants to waterways. Genesis Energy operates multiple zero discharge facilities (including our Sodium Minerals and Sulfur Services Division) where process water is recycled and reused on-site. Additionally, we use water for:

• Integrity testing of tanks and pipelines
• Steam generation for heating products
• Equipment cleaning